Elehayym Van Houten
Lieutenant Elehayym Van Houten (Elhaym Van Houten in the English localization), nicknamed Elly, is the young skilled Gebler officer of the Solaris Military. Elly is a 1st Class Gazel citizen and lives a very privileged life compared to the rest of Solaris, and her parents are pure Solarians. Her mother is Medena Van Houten, and her father is Erich Van Houten, who works on the Imperial Guard. She is a playable character in Xenogears. Past lives Abel was the only human survivor of the Eldridge crash. Together with Elehayym, or Elly as he had come to call her, he lived during the first years of human life on the Xenogears planet. When Cain, Myyah Hawwa and the Gazel Ministry began laying down the foundations of what would be all their various control mechanisms in the developing human culture, Abel and Elly, now grown adults stepped forward and challenged them. Abel, having known the real truth of the matter and being the only true human on the planet was able to see through Cain's lies and called him on them in front of the whole world. Cain responded by murdering both him and Elly to silence them. Both Abel and Elly were continuously reincarnated through the Zohar Modifier until the year 9999 when Fei Fong Wong and Elehayym Van Houten were born. Elly is also the Antitype in this incarnation of Fei's life, just as she has been throughout the centuries on the planet (Abel's companion, Kim Kasim's wife Elly, the Great Mother Sophia, etc.). Elly was created by the Wave Existence out of Abel's need for a mother. Biography Elly has one issue that remains with her, despite her being a Solarian and the daughter of one of the Empire's most decorated officers, there is the fact of her appearance, being red-haired and blue-violet eyed somewhat separates her from other Solarians who are mostly blond-haired and blue-eyed. Elly feels ashamed for not possessing blonde hair because Lambs are prone to not having blonde-hair. Elly believes she is half-Solarian, half-Lamb. For a time, she thought her mother Medena was not the woman her father married. Instead, Elly believed her childhood nanny, a Lamb, was actually her real mother. This fact of her life was a mark of ridicule by some people of Solaris, including Elly's former comrade in the Elements, Dominia Yizkor. It's only toward the midpoint of the game that Elly learns that this was how she looked ever since the dawn of life on their planet and that Medena is her real mother. In 9994, Elly joined Jugend Military Academy. She eventually became a lieutenant with a squad of soldiers. Elly is addicted to a drug called Drive, a battle enhancement drug which many Gebler soldiers use to aid in killing Lambs. About a year prior to the game (9998), due to an overdose of Drive, Elly was taken over and heavily wounded five of her fellow classmates. Two were killed and three were revived. This caused her psychological guilt. One important aspect of Elly is that in the beginning of the game, she has been severely brainwashed and desensitized to killing, due to 18 years of Solaris mentally programming her, to the point where she believes Lambs are disgusting abominations and should die horrible deaths, and that killing other humans is perfectly acceptable and fine if they are inferior. Xenogears Elly was leading an operation to steal a top-secret experiment Gear from the rival country Kislev, but was forced to crash-land in Lahan Village and flee from Kislev soldiers. Her encounter with Fei in the Blackmoon Forest changes her life forever. Fei struggles to find a reason to live and considers suicide after Elly calls him a coward responsible for the villager's deaths, but ultimately refrains. When Fei blames Kislev for the massacre in Lahan, Elly is annoyed and calls him out, essentially telling him to grow up, act like an adult, and take some responsibility for the blame: that he was, to some extent, responsible for the deaths since he jumped into the Gear and started fighting in it in the middle of the village, despite not knowing how to fully operate it. Elly is an optimist and wants to help Fei, despite the fact that he is a Lamb, and she cannot leave the military. Elly eventually leaves the Solaris military after Nortune, Kislev is attacked, and she realizes killing, violence, horror, and war isn't her thing. Fei helps her realize that the military is a psychopathic and dangerous cult. Geber attempts to kidnap Elly and Myyah Hawwa, a Gebler officer, unsuccessfully brainwashes her. Myyah also calls Elly's eyes "beautiful". Elly eventually returns to the party. In Solaris, Elly shows Fei around Etrenank and Solaris and she acts as a language translator for him. She introduces Fei to her parents at her 1st Class Gazel home. Elly learns the horrifying truth of the Soylent System and the meat industry. Elly's parents are also killed, much to her horror. Later, Fei and Elly are chased by Kahran Ramsus and are struck down. Mortally wounded, they are rescued by Taura Melchior. After a period of three weeks, Fei and Elly are healed by Taura and his nanotechnology. Everyone regroups and Elly and Emeralda go to the Mass Driver Facility to release the Limiters of everyone on the planet. However, in doing so, some turn into Wels. Back on the surface, Fei and Elly work together to put an end to the Soylent System slaughterhouses. At one point, Sophia resonates with Elly and comforts the mutated Wels (Reapers) in a Soylent System facility. Elly stays behind and assists Nisan for her own safety. Karellen seeks to possess Elly, the Mother, who must be sacrificed in order to revive Deus. In Nisan, Elly senses that Fei is in danger, which is confirmed when Karellen sends a message, saying that if she wants to save Fei and his group, she must go to Golgoda. Elly does so and defeats Mugwort and Rattan, but is kidnapped by Karellen. Karellen lets Fei and his allies go, knowing they will come back to rescue her. In Merkava, Elly is on a crucifix. Myyah is killed by an enraged Ramsus as he realizes he has been used, and Elly turns into Myyah, becoming absorbed by Deus. The party is forced to retreat as Merkava raises into the sky, firing a red beam of destruction on the land below. Fei sets out to destroy Deus and free the Wave Existence and Elly. The party defeats Deus, but they realize that the energy released from the Wave Existence's shift will destroy the planet. Elly, inside Deus, tries to move it away from the planet and Fei, in his Xenogears, follows to save her, but both disappear in the rift. Karellen confronts them, telling Fei he only sought to end the pain and suffering that comes with human existence by reverting everything back to when it all began, when all was one, to ascend to the realm of God. Fei rejects Karellen's ideology with his love for Elly, but Karellen challenges Fei, telling him to prove this love that could make him independent of God, and calls forth Urobolus, a gigantic serpent-like incarnation of Myyah. Xenogears appears and Fei uses it to defeat Urobolus. Karellen releases Elly and reveals to Fei that he had planned to become one with God along with Elly. During her time with Karellen, Elly had seen inside his heart and realized it was full of sadness and despair for all the atrocities he had committed. Despite everything, Elly says that Karellen truly loved people more than anyone else. Because no one will forgive his sins, he declines Fei's offer to return and ascends to a higher plane of existence along with the Wave Existence, telling Fei and Elly that he envies them. Fei and Elly then return to their planet along with Xenogears and reunite with the rest of the party. Gameplay Elly is a competent fighter with her rods, but she has powerful elemental ether, which makes her valuable to the party. In battles, Elly fights using rods or batons which she knocks her opponent in each hit. She can also somersault her opponents with a single blow or a single kick. When using elemental deathblows, Elly is also capable of using elemental magic. In her Aqua Frost final deathblow, Elly is shown as an excellent ballet when using this ability. In Gear battles, her Gear Vierge, and her Omnigear, El-Regrs, also wield a rod. However, during her boss battle against Fei due to being drugged by the "Drive", her Gear is not seen wielding a rod. Some of her fighting abilities are used before making a final blow against Fei using Aerods. In her Gear, Elly can essentially become overpowered if the player equips her with an Ether Doubler on her human form (use 2x EP to create 2x effect), and Power Magic on her Gear (increases Eth Mach Strength). Her Gear's Aerods then become insanely overpowered. Elly leaves the party forever after Anima Dungeon Two is completed - it is recommended the player remove any valuable equipment before the Hammer boss battle. Deathblows * Screamer: - 4 AP * Cyclone Kick: - 5 AP * Breakthrough: - 5 AP * Double Shock: - 6 AP * Sky Attack: - 6 AP * Bright Spark: - 6 AP * Sting Kick: - 6 AP * Anemo Zap: - Wind Elemental, 7 AP * Terra Charge: - Earth Elemental, 7 AP * Thermo Thump: - Fire Elemental, 7 AP * Aqua Frost: - Water Elemental, 7 AP Etymology Elehayym is composed of El and Ehayym. The El in her name means "God". When Elehayym is reversed, it becomes "Myyah..." who is one of the main antagonists of the game. Van Houten is a Dutch surname. The name literally means "from Houten" which refers to the town of Houten in the Netherlands. It can also mean "from the forest", and Fei meets Elly in a forest - the Blackmoon Forest. Quotes * "Ranahad! Katenayu tada bintudah akba! Dhan narata! Rana kotay!" * "Throw down your weapon! Make one wrong move and I'll shoot!" * "Enough of that! You're a COWARD! Yes, you're a COWARD. All you're saying is 'THEM, THEM, THEM'. Don't talk as if YOU had no part of the blame, as well!" * "You talk as if it's not your RESPONSIBILITY! They DIED because YOU had to pilot the Gear and start FIGHTING! Not just ANYONE can pilot those machines, you know! Why won't you take RESPONSIBILITY!? Why are you trying to put the BLAME on OTHERS? You're a COWARD!" * "No... I didn't do anything...! It wasn't me... can't you understand? I didn't do it... I'm not so strong... I'm not even all that talented..." (Elly remembers her Drive incident) * "Why don't you take some of the responsibility yourself? Why are you putting all the blame on others? That's just running away! That's what makes you a coward!" * "It's OK not to feel ‘whole’. Even if you only feel partly complete, if you repeat that enough, eventually it’ll be 'whole'. A part... is better than zero." (to Fei) * "Don't be too hard on yourself. Everyone wants to be needed at times. All of us want to give something inside ourselves to others to be accepted." * "A dream... I was dreaming a dream... Or perhaps it was a memory. From a distant past... A dream... A memory... Those words I was unable to convey... That day... That time... Those thoughts I was unable to carry out... Words and thoughts... The connection between the two... Without words, thoughts cannot be conveyed... Without thoughts, there are no words... They are both as vital as each other... They can never be divided... Like the wings of angels... Like a man and a woman... An unchangeable destiny... Feelings one wishes one could change... Meeting without the person who would change me... And watching myself change... I dreamt such a dream... A long... Never-ending dream..." * "In that dream, I was called 'Sophia'... Mother Sophia... A symbolic name... Crowned upon the person who would be the people's hope... A name I was destined to have whether I wanted it or not..." * "Dreams... A life of a woman named Sophia... And the lives of countless other women... All but dreams... Now that I am awake, those countless numbers of long, heartrending dreams are almost impossible to remember at all... In those dreams, I loved one man... no matter the day, No matter the era... That did not change... Only his name..." * "That dream changed me... That dream was the catalyst for me to resolve what my purpose was. I think I know now... What I have to do... That long, long memory of a dream... That perhaps was the memory of my soul..." * "I'm sorry... I guess I couldn't help you after all. All I can do for you now is ease your wounds... I'm so sorry..." * "Please! Listen to me! Stop fighting among yourselves. We are all humans!" * "All of you, want to be loved... needed by someone, so we look to others... By ourselves, we are lonely, so we try to draw together to live... That's what it means to be human...That's how people live. A single hand cannot clap." * "I only did what I could. Maybe I'm a hypocrite. A well to do 'have'. Maybe it's only pity for the 'have-nots'... But if I can know the joy of giving out a little of the life within me... Then maybe someday it may just be possible that one human can truly give love to another... People can do it... I truly believe they can. That's why..." * "You've got us all wrong, Dominia. Our paths may be different, but our goals are the same. That's why I can't fight you anymore. There's no reason for me to... That's all." * "We used to be enemies but now we're together like this... In the beginning... I think I saw myself in you. We seemed to overlap... You being in a similar situation as I was in. When I was with you, I didn't feel alone or apprehensive. That's why I thought I liked you... But it wasn't that. I simply didn't have the courage to look at my true self. I turned to you to run away from it all... I mistook that for love. But, it's different now. I can face my own problems. I am me... and you are you. It has all become clear to me now. I also learned that I really do need you... It's not because I need you as a sanctuary for my problems. I need you because I truly love you." (to Fei) * "I'm not a holy woman of any sort. I'm just a regular woman. I get angry... I cry... I laugh... Although at times I can resent others, I also know how to love others... Loving whole masses of people at times... and loving just one person the rest of the time... I am in supreme bliss when I am embraced by the man that I love. Giving what I have to him, and receiving what he gives to me, we become one flesh... That is the moment when I am most at peace. It is my prerogative as a woman to simply want to save the man that I love!" (to her squad) * "I'm so sorry... so please forgive me! I was wrong... I thought sacrificing myself in order to save others was the right thing to do... But my actions only brought sadness to all the people who I left behind. And that sadness gave birth to even more sadness. As long as 'I' still live within you, my life is not just mine alone." Trivia *Elly is symbolic of Anima, which is why one of her incarnations is Sophia. *Elly has a strong resemblance to Nephilim Verum in Xenosaga. *In the introduction of the game, Shigeyoshi Inoue looks at a photo of his apparent family. The girl in it strongly resembles Elly. *Her English voice actress, Moira Quirk is best known for portraying as a referee in Nickelodeon's Guts. She is also Daniella from Haunting Ground. It is also possible Daniella has been drugged, and Daniella also has purple hair. In Xenogears, Elly has purple hair at one point. Gallery ZoharEye.gif|Elly in Kadomony in the eye of the Zohar. Abel_y_elly_2.jpg|Abel and Elly fleeing from Cain in 0011. Abel_y_elly_3jpg.jpg|Elly is killed by Cain and tells Abel to live. Kim1.jpg|Elly and Kim celebrating a new year. Kim2.jpg|Elly and Kim celebrating a new year. 22-growthspurt30.jpg|Kim commentates to Elly on Emeralda. Sophia.png|Art (Sophia). SophiaCon.png|Art (Sophia). Elly.png|Art. EllyConcept.png|Art. Xeno-elly-front-back-side.jpg|Art. EllyArtPosey.png|Art. EllyCon1.png|Concept art. EllyCon2.png|Concept art. EllyCon3.png|Concept art. EllyArt.png|Art of Elly's potential to be possessed by Myyah. EllyExp.png|Art (emotions and expressions). EllyHands.gif|Elly's blood-stained hands. EllyHands.jpg|Elly's blood-stained hands. Coward1.jpg|"I'm not so strong..." Coward2.jpg|"I'm not even all that talented..." Coward3.jpg|"....." Excuse.jpg|Elly meets Fei. Fire.gif|Elly and Fei. EllySpeech.png|Elly speaking. MiangMother.jpg|Myyah awakens in Elly. MiangElly.png|Elly possessed by Myyah. FeiElly.gif|Fei and Elly. WillWeMakeIt.png|"Will we make it in time?" ICanWithYou.png|"If we're together, I can." Run.gif|Elly and Fei run to the end of the world. Embrace.gif|Fei saves Elly. EllyAndFei.png|Elly and Fei. EllyFei2.png|Elly in the ending. Fei_elly.jpg|Xenogears Comic Anthology. Category:Xenogears characters Category:Female characters Category:Elements